1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to luggage, specifically to a luggage system including a compression bag configured to permit the user to compress laundry during travel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Luggage or baggage is any number of bags, cases and containers which hold a traveler's personal articles during transit. Luggage is normally used in relation to the personal baggage of a specific person or persons. The modern traveler can be expected to have luggage including clothing, toiletries, small possessions, trip necessities, and on the return-trip, and souvenirs.
Luggage has changed over time. Historically the most common types of luggage were Chests or trunks made of wood or other heavy materials. These would be shipped by professional movers. Since the Second World War smaller and more lightweight suitcases and bags that can be carried by an individual have become the main form of luggage.
There are various types of luggage, an example of a type of luggage may be a suitcase. A suitcase is a general term that may refer to a wheeled or non-wheeled luggage, as well as soft or hard side luggage. Rolling luggage refers to various types of wheeled luggage either with or without telescoping handles. Typically two fixed wheels on one end with the handle located on the opposite for vertical movement. A wheeled upright is a relatively new type of luggage that incorporates an extending handle that allows the traveler to roll it in an upright position. Some types of luggage include wheels, wherein rolling suitcases have become increasingly popular over the last decade. Expandable luggage includes suitcases that can be unzipped to expand for more packing space.
Typically luggage is used during all phases of travel, including but not limited to travel by bus, shuttle, car, limo, taxi, plane, boat, and the like and combinations thereof as well as during temporary lodgings in hotels, motels, condos, homes, and the like and combinations thereof and even during meetings (business or otherwise). Accordingly, luggage may be called upon to perform a great variety of functions and may be needed to be appropriate in a great variety of settings.
Some improvements have been made in the field. Examples of references related to the present invention are described below in their own words, and the supporting teachings of each reference are incorporated by reference herein:
U.S. Pat. No. 8,005,189, issued to Ripp et al., discloses a piece of luggage, such as a suitcase, is constructed with one or more compartments of predesigned location and purpose to facilitate security inspection. Compartments may be designated to hold objects that, if obscured by other objects, carry an undesirably high likelihood of generating a false alarm because obscuring objects prevent an accurate assessment of the nature of those objects. For this reason, a compartment may be designated for liquids, gels and/or aerosols. A compartment may also be designated for objects, such as metal objects, which carry a risk of generating a false alarm if packed in a suitcase in a way that they obscure other objects and prevent an accurate determination of whether those objects are threat objects. Such compartments are positioned to ensure that the items they contain are segregated during x-ray inspection so as to neither obscure or be obscured by other objects packed in the luggage.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,578,320, issued to Borchardt, discloses a flexible bag including overlaying first and second sidewalls that provide an internal volume that can be accessed via an opening. To evacuate air from the internal volume after the open top edge has been closed, the bag includes a one-way valve element attached to the first sidewall. The bag is configured to prevent objects from clogging the valve element during evacuation. In one embodiment, the bag may include a plurality of ridges formed along the inner surface of at least one sidewall that can maintain separation of the sidewalls and contents from the valve element. In another aspect, the valve element is beneficially located at a top corner of the bag where the valve element is spaced apart from those locations in the bag where contents are likely to collect.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,513,481, issued to Su, discloses a one-way valve of a sealed bag to expel the dead air out from the bag with a preferred air-tight effect. The one-way valve comprises a valve seat, a diaphragm mounted inside the valve seat, the diaphragm is also in linear contact with a projected annular ring, a stop device pressed on the diaphragm, a valve cap screwed to the valve seat and pressed the stop device. Said valve cap has hooks adapted to apertures of the seat, thus keep the cap on the seat not to be separated from thereof. Moving upward or downward the valve cap, the stop device can be controlled to press onto the diaphragm tightly or become loose. An airtight effect is achieved with a pressure exerted between the stop device and the annular ring. Or one-way valve can expel the dead air through the air pores under diaphragm.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,452,132, issued to Tang, discloses a clothes storage bag permitting the stacking of clothes in standing position is comprised of two side plastic films and a base plastic film; both side films defining an erected storage case on the upper part; a zipper sealing being provided to an opening at the top of the erected storage case; the lower part of each erected film laterally extending in opposite directions to form a lateral storage case connecting through the erected storage case; and a passage to expel air being provided on either side of the lateral storage case to reduce bag size.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,334,669, issued to Barker et al., discloses Wheeled luggage having a telescopically expandable body is disclosed. The luggage body may be manually adjusted from a normally sized carry-on configuration during transit, to a vertically enlarged configuration once the final destination, such as a hotel room, is reached. The body further includes a plurality of interior horizontally disposed, vertically stacked shelves connected in accordion fashion to an internal liner so as to automatically expand from a compact configuration to an expanded configuration when the main body is telescopically expanded thereby providing a series of vertically spaced shelves which provide convenient access to the contents. A garment folding apparatus may be incorporated with the luggage to provide a tool that assists the user in quickly folding clothing to dimensions compatible with storage spaced within the luggage.
The inventions heretofore known suffer from a number of disadvantages which include being limited in use, being limited in function, being unable to store used or dirty articles of clothing, being expensive, being inconvenient, requiring the traveler to take extra steps to store laundry, being odorous, mixing clean and soiled clothing, storing soiled clothing in a manner that takes up too much space, making it difficult for travelers to continue to store clothing as a trip progresses, requiring travelers to completely open a bag to store or retrieve laundry stored therein, and the like and combinations thereof.
What is needed is a luggage system that solves one or more of the problems described herein and/or one or more problems that may come to the attention of one skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with this specification.